Welcome to LESP!

Lower East Side Preparatory High School boasts a safe, supportive, and technology-rich environment that motivates all students to succeed. With a renowned ESL/transitional bilingual program in Spanish and Chinese, and a variety of enrichment, AP, Regents prep, and extended day courses, LESP sends more than 80% of their graduates to college. The transfer school provides structure and support to those who are over-aged and under-accredited, and helps students get a new start, whether from around the world, or around the block.

Message from the Principal

It is with great enthusiasm that I introduce myself as the Principal of the Lower East Side Preparatory High School. During the past 14 years it has been my privilege to serve the LESP Community as Assistant Principal. It has been a great experience working with my administrative colleagues, teachers, support staff, and students and families. I have strived to be both a constant catalyst for growth and change, as well as a consistent source of support. Our student body represents more than 50 countries including the United States. The staff at Lower East Side Prep honors the many cultural differences brought by our students and families. We explore these differences and use them to create a greater appreciation and understanding of one another. As a result of our efforts we were recognized as one of the top transfer high schools in New York City three years in a row.

News and Announcements

The Chinese Culture Club Annual New Year Celebration will be on February 15, 2019! You all are invited to join us for this fun and exciting party. We will have food, music, dance, and performance to make this Friday night a lasting memorable one.

LESP is offering a free course in English as a New Language (ENL) and Weight Training for parents and families. Please join us every Wednesday night from 6pm to 8pm in Room 471. You don’t have to worry about missing a class— come and we will work with you. Call 212-432-8929 for more information.

Dear Families and Staff: This is a follow-up to my February 8, 2017 water test results notification letter. I am pleased to share we have successfully completed remediation work at J.H.S. 25 – Manhattan (Lower East Side Preparatory High School at 145 Stanton Street, Manhattan, NY 10002) and on May 10, 2018 and August 22, 2018 and November 28, 2018, the remediated fixtures were tested and the final laboratory results indicate that all samples taken and tested were below the action level of 15 ppb.

On January 28, 2017 and May 10, 2018, every operational source of water, including for drinking or preparing food, at J.H.S. 25 – Manhattan was tested for lead. The laboratory results showed elevated levels of lead in 12 of the 117 samples of water taken and tested from outlets in the building. Each affected fixture at J.H.S. 25 – Manhattan was taken out of service on February 8, 2017, and the remediation work was completed.

In any building where lead test results show even one water outlet above the action level of 15 parts per billion (ppb), the DOE implements its standard response protocol, under which it removes any drinking or food prep outlet from service, flushes all or part of the system to eliminate water sitting in pipes overnight, replaces equipment and re-tests after the equipment is replaced. As part of our remediation protocols, fixture(s) that were out of order or inaccessible at the time of the initial testing were repaired and tested. All drinking or food prep fixtures are only put back in service once results of laboratory tests are below the action level of 15 ppb.

Out of an abundance of caution, the custodial staff will continue to flush the J.H.S. 25 – Manhattan water systems on Monday mornings before school starts in order to eliminate water that has been stagnant in pipes over the weekend and to ensure safe drinking water is available for students and staff.

A more detailed letter related to the testing for lead at J.H.S. 25 – Manhattan is attached, and complete test results are posted on the DOE website at https://www.schools.nyc.gov/ schools/M515. Click Data and Reports and look for the Facilities Heading.

Please visit https://www.schools.nyc.gov/about-us/reports/water-safety to learn more about the robust protocol we use to ensure the safety of drinking water in each and every school, as well as to look up water test results for each school.

Thank you for your patience and support and we wish you and your students a wonderful semester.